Google's clever Street View advertising patents revealed

Things you might also like

Google has some rather nifty tricks up its sleeve for Street View, as a recently-granted patent reveals the online giant has cunning plans to keep any advertising that can be seen on the service relevant.

The plans would see posters, signs and billboards in the Street View images identified and then offered to advertisers with Google boasting the ability to replace the existing images with more up-to-date ads.

As an example Google highlights cinemas, and while the films showing while the Street View image of the building was snapped will now be out of date, the cinema could pay Google to adjust the image to show what films are currently on.

Buildings could also get augmented reality ads overlaid on them, although this could be a more complicated area in terms of who gets the right to advertise where.

The plans are just a patent at this stage but we will keep you posted.